This piece of news is just oh so ironic.
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has condemned violence by Israeli settlers against Palestinians harvesting their olives as a “dangerous escalation”.
There have been several reports of attacks in recent days, look a week into the yearly olive harvest. But settlers have accused Palestinians of burning their own olive groves and then blaming them.
So basically these Palestinians, whose livlihood depends on olives, will burn them down – shooting themselves in the foot just to make Israelis look bad. Yeah. That makes sense.
On Monday, the Palestinian-led International Solidarity Movement said more than 100 settlers had blocked roads near the West Bank town of Qalqilya and had been throwing stones. They said four people, three internationals and one Israeli citizen, had been arrested “after being attacked by settlers” while helping Palestinian farmers pick olives.
In an incident filmed by the Associated Press on Saturday, a Palestinian photographer and a British woman were punched by settlers in the West Bank town of Hebron before the Israeli military broke up the scuffle.
The Israeli military criticised the Palestinians in the area for going out to harvest their olives without coordinating the timing with them.
Under measures which the Israeli military says are aimed at reducing clashes, Palestinians in some areas must harvest their olives according to a timetable agreed by Israeli and Palestinian authorities.
Imagine being a farmer and having to coordinate with one of the largest military bodies in the world, just to get to your own grove and harvest your own olives.
This is apartheid at its best.
Of course these incidents are not isolated and very common. Last week, Palestinians went to the village of Ni’lin to harvest their own lands, which have been divided and cut off by the wall. They were joined by the media as well as Israeli and international activists. Soon enough the Israeli military attacked and ten people, including two children, were injured.
I just read this morning on Ma’an that Mahmoud Abbas ordered the planting of 7 million olive trees in response to settler attacks on Palestinians during olive harvest.
“Israel, particularly settlers, and by the way, there is no difference because Israel means settlers, is launching an organized campaign against farmers and peasants whose main source of income is olive trees. This is intolerable and so, I asked all ministries and police to send youth volunteers to help those farmers.â€
“We need to plant 50 olive trees every time settlers uproot one tree. We are the owners of this land, and will never leave it which they have to realize once and for all,†he added.
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=32667
“But settlers have accused Palestinians of burning their own olive groves and then blaming them.”
We sure can see that in the video! Israeli settlers playing victims as usual.. Ohhh, ya 7aram!
Every time I read an article about the apartheid I feel a strong urge to do something but feel helpless. Trying to spread the word would do very little. Boycotting companies that support Israel is doing little. We need a new kind of action that would fire up the world media. Keep the issue at the forefront and force governments to act.
The status quo is so depressing
Efft .. this is so depressing and sad. How can the world turn a blind eye on this ? Are we not human ?
“So basically these Palestinians, whose livelihood depends on olives, will burn them down – shooting themselves in the foot just to make Israelis look bad. Yeah. That makes sense.”
I would not put anything past the Palestinian desire to make Israel look bad in the media. The Israelis might have done but don’t expect sense to guide you to the truth.
SO .. ANGRY! >:(
Even something as basic and ‘mutual community’ as picking olives harvest has to be interfered with to this extent?? If they want to kill off any shred of any form of hope, this is it, how incredibly symbolic: burning someone elses olive branch.
I am not a usual blogger, this is actually the first time and I wanted to thank you for the post, made me furious, it should.. I can’t believe how far Israelis have gone! They have been mastering antagonism, aggression, hostility and all forms of violence for as far as I could go back in history!
I wonder how it would’ve been if Palestinians were shooting missiles instead of rocks! Those foolish cowards would be gone long ago!
First it was the land, later it was a home and more space for the garden, parking lot, etc etc.. yet, they couldn’t feel the fulfillment and satisfaction.. they wanted more, they’ll always want more, so now that it’s all gone and taken, and greed still craving for even more,, they want to get rid of everything there is that makes us alive and breathing.
Media; on the other hand, is another area of discussion! Most of it is managed by Zionists and therefore, little hope for us in that field!
that’s terrible!
Jordan should relaliate by immediately refusing Israeli water.(Israel goves Jordan 50 million cubes of water each year) .Also Jordanians MUST show solidarity by boycotting INTEL.Many Intel parts are manufactured or conceived in R&D in Israel.So immediately throw all you computers away.Right now!!!
RulaS:
“I wonder how it would’ve been if Palestinians were shooting missiles instead of rocks! Those foolish cowards would be gone long ago!”
They are shooting rockets (albeit not good ones).
when was the last time you heard an Arab leader or government spokesman talk about the atrocities occurring daily in Palestine? They have been whipped into shape by the Bush doctrine and they dont dare speak in public to criticize Israel, they are complacent and part of the crimes being committed against the defenseless people in Palestine. Dont expect the world to do anything about while the Egyptian government(not the people) is strangling Gaza and participating in the torture of the Palestinian people, preventing Gaza students from leaving to continue their education abroad, while Jordanian government(not the people) bans any form of protests related to the struggling people in Palestine, while Lebanese government(not the people) besieges the Palestinians in the camps, why should we blame Intel or starbucks or Taco Bell?
While i did say it was the governments not the people my other question is..where are the people anyways? I cant hear you.